


Hygge

by RomeoandAntoinette



Category: Persona 4
Genre: Anniversary, Banter, Domestic Fluff, Flirting, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, One Shot, Persona 5 References, Post-Canon, Suggestive Themes, Vacation, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-08
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:34:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26365786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RomeoandAntoinette/pseuds/RomeoandAntoinette
Summary: Yu and Yosuke check into a lakeside cabin to celebrate their one-year anniversary.
Relationships: Hanamura Yosuke/Narukami Yu, Hanamura Yosuke/Seta Souji
Comments: 3
Kudos: 49





	Hygge

The bedroom coalesced around him slowly, blooming into existence through soft splashes of form and light filtering through his lashes. Only as his eyes fully adjusted did the brightness of the room truly register in his brain, which was still somewhat drunk off peaceful slumber. The orange tint of sunlight that seeped through his eyelids and the physical warmth of the rays roused him from his supine position.

With much effort, he hauled himself to his elbows. The unfamiliar bed groaned in disagreement beneath him, as if it also didn’t want its warm inhabitants to rise yet.

The sights and sounds of the space slowly lured Yosuke further into the realm of wakefulness.

He blinked slowly as he surveyed the unfamiliar surroundings. His eyes were still soft from sleep, and even as he rubbed them, they remained somewhat pinched in response to the sunrise-tinted glow of the strange bedroom.

For a moment, he forgot where they were. The unfamiliar surroundings gave him a moment’s pause. He blinked, slow and reptilian, as he slowly sat up. The down comforter slid off his chest inch by inch until he was sitting fully upright. As he rose, the rest of the room continued to form around him in bits and pieces until a full picture was finally formed. A ceiling fan turned lazily overhead. A boxy television sat cockeyed on the beech credenza directly across from the foot of the bed. The mirrored doors of the closet reflected his own expression back to him. A lube bottle, bent from use, was discarded on the nightstand. All the room’s windows were decorated with navy blackout curtains. Since both Yu and Yosuke hated sleeping in the dark, they’d left the curtains open during their night of escapades.

He chuckled and blushed at the memories.

Then, he looked over and caught a peek of his partner’s sleeping face. The man was rolled onto his side, his back facing Yosuke and face pressed into the creaseless pillow covering. Yosuke leaned forward on his elbows ever-so-slowly to get a better peek at his partner’s face.

The lines of worry that sometimes marred his visage were pressed into submission. He looked peaceful. More peaceful than he had in months, Yosuke realized.

To think, they’d almost brushed off the idea of having a one-year anniversary altogether. Thank goodness their very good friends had pushed the duo into it. One look at his partner’s face made all the trouble of negotiating schedules and arranging transportation to be more than worth it.

The building was a large, multi-story rectangle lined with faux logs to further add to the ‘lakeside cabin’ aesthetic. The lake was a short stroll from the back and featured a winding trail through the trees. There were no added lights (the local populace was stringently against light pollution, unlike the city slickers that dropped in to vacation), and because they were so far out in the country, the blackness of night was so intense that a cellphone flashlight could barely cut through it.

Thankfully, since the retreat catered toward vacationing couples, people rarely walked alone. That included Yu and Yosuke.

As if sensing the pair of eyes on him, the other blinked himself awake. A satisfied sigh rumbled in his barreled chest. Immediately, smoky eyes met fiery ones. They beamed at each other.

“Hey,” Yu said, voice heavy with sleep. “You woke up before me.”

It was more of a statement than a question, but Yosuke leaned forward to answer his question with a kiss all the same.

“I did,” he confirmed. “Well, this vacation has already done the impossible. You slept in my one whole minute.”

The silver-haired man stretched his arms overhead until he could flatten his hands against the headboard. “That long, huh?”

Yosuke smacked his stomach gently and rolled out of bed. “Don’t go too far. I’ll be right back.”

Yu eyed him from the left side of the bed. “Where are you going?”

“Going to get the paper,” Yosuke said, then immediately felt like an old man afterward. “You have to walk past the check-in office to this place across the street to get it.”

Yosuke knew his partner well enough to see the internal logistic battle going on behind his eyes. He decided to swoop in before Yu could sneak any words of doubt in. “Before you ask, yes. I know I could just look it up on my phone. But I’m determined to let the ambience of this tranquil retreat soak in as much as possible. It’s our one-year anniversary, after all. We’re supposed to relax. That means no malware-ridden news sites or apps.”

Yu nodded. “You also hate watching the news on television.”

“As you also do,” Yosuke reminded him.

“As I also do, you’re right,” Yu laughed, sitting up fully and stretching again. “Some things never change.”

He looked nothing short of dashing, even in a wrinkled T-shirt and mussed hair. They’d been married for a whole year and he still looked as handsome as he had when they’d started dating in high school.

“You’re right about that,” Yosuke replied. He didn’t realize he’d spoken aloud until Yu’s eyes darted back to his playfully.

He’d been caught staring, but in typical Yu fashion, he didn’t call him out on it.

After pushing his mess of bangs out of his eyes, the ashy-haired man swung his legs out from the blankets and let them dangle over the edge. He reached onto the nightstand and palmed a pair of glasses, careful to not smudge them. He’d started wearing the slate-lined lenses shortly after he’d started at his first law firm. Yosuke liked to joke that all the fine print had literally taken its toll on his eyes. Yu always groaned at the terrible statement but never disagreed.

“So, Yosuke,” Yu said, his tone as cheeky as he flashed a grin, “Since you’re apparently in a mood to call all the shots this morning, do I at least have your permission to make a pot of coffee?”

Yosuke pretended to huff in annoyance. “Well, I suppose so.”

The fawn-haired man stepped out of the doorway and into the condominium’s quaint foyer. From the coat rack, he grabbed a pullover and yanked it over his head. He’d need the extra layer to fend off the early-morning chill from the lake, which was nothing short of brisk. There was no doubt about it; fall was on the horizon.

The open-knit and baggy fit made his legs look like upright umbrella posts beneath the billowing tent of material, but at least it wouldn’t be too stuffy. The color of the added layer matched his boxers well enough that he wouldn’t look too crazy walking a half-mile walk to the paper stand.

Meanwhile, Yu padded barefoot to the kitchen behind him. “Sounds good. Do you have a preference?”

“Nah, whatever you feel like works for me,” Yosuke said as he retrieved his wallet from the counter. He also made a point to reach for his phone before overdramatically stopping himself and reeling back, sighing loudly as he did so for added effect. Of course, Yu couldn’t help but roll his eyes. He continued cheekily, “I think there’s ground Kona and some Café Bustelo in the cabinet. Either is fine, as long as it’s not instant.”

“I’d never be so cruel to you,” Yu drawled as he reached up and retrieved a pack from the cupboard. He then slipped on the glasses to better read the instructions. “It’ll be done by the time you come back.”

Yosuke slipped on a pair of sunglasses (the reflection of early morning sunlight off the water was brutal) and nodded. From behind the safety of the polarized frames, he stole another glance at the planes on muscles shifting beneath his husband’s shirt. He made a career of snaking his gaze down to his tapered waist and over the curving flesh below. Memories of the night before and how he had touched that flesh made his fingertips tingle.

“Nice and hot, I hope.”

Yu gave him a healthy dose of side-eye.

Sensing they were on the cusp of something hotter than coffee, Yosuke rolled his lips between his teeth and dipped out the front door.

Almost immediately, the pine-scented air rolled over him. While the humidity of summer was being chased away the changing leaves and cooling lake tides, some residual warmth from the season still lingered. It wrapped around him like a comfortable blanket as he jogged down the rental condo’s steps. The wooden steps boomed delightfully loud with his jostling, and he couldn’t resist jump dramatically off the last two steps and landing with the finesse of a dancer.

After sticking the landing, he jogged up the gravel roadway past the check-in office. After waving to the families lounging by the outdoor pool, he reached the dingy roadway that fed cars into the resort’s entrance. He slipped past the large sign out front and, after a quick check to make sure the coast was clear for any other vehicles or hidden police cars, crossed the road. The last thing he needed was to bump into a middle-of-nowhere cop looking for any petty, jaywalking-type offense to help fill his quota.

The newspaper dispenser was a big, canary-yellow box with faded lettering at the top. ‘Something _Weekly_ ’ it said in neatly printed decals, the outlines long faded from being baked in the sun and battered by rain for a decade.

Yosuke popped the appropriate amount of change in the coin slot and caught the door as it unlatched. He fished his paper from the slot, skimming the headlines as he did so.

 _‘Fast food CEO dies after addressing employee maltreatment scandal’_ was printed at the top. Yosuke frowned, but wasn't particularly sympathetic. Being behind the scenes of a big business like Junes had exposed him to the dark world of employee work conditions, and how shabby they were at many places. Anytime a wealthy CEO got their rocks off on the suffering of their employees, it made Yosuke’s blood boil extra hot.

He moved on to the next one.

 _‘Local politician addresses harassment claims’_ was another. The names of the involved individuals sounded familiar, but nothing registered enough to spark recognition. The news was more sad than shocking, in his casual opinion. Another fanatical madman was abusing his power, but this time, it was for lust instead of greed.

It was disgusting, but as Yosuke had learned in his sparse years of adult life and from the myriad of similar cases that crossed his partner’s legal table, it was far from uncommon.

Funny how individuals with a surplus of money often seemed to create a surplus of problems.

Yu had commented on a similar scenario after a particularly brutal all-nighter at the firm: “Politics and sex are like…water and air. Theoretically, they’re different states of matter. They look and feel different. But under a microscope, they share atoms and elements. The lines between them transform as frequently as the weather.”

It seemed that was true.

He skipped to the ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT section.

 _‘Rise Kujikawa’s newest single_ Sapphire _is music to the ears of fans, critics alike’._

Good news, at last! Yosuke couldn’t help but grin. “Atta girl.”

Then he saw the follow-up article.

 _‘The sex appeal of Rise Kujikawa’._ His depression returned to him like a windblown fishing line, only this time, the hook lodged itself in his skin.

This was a bad idea, Yosuke thought as he nudged the door shut with his knee and walked away. As usual, the news was downright depressing.

Yosuke sauntered back to their condominium lazily. Along the way, he practiced small and silent moments of therapy by taking time to enjoy small things. These included the way the treetops swayed in the breeze like a line of hula dancers, or how the imperfections in the worn gravel walkway looked like the silvery cosmos of the Milky Way if he squinted hard enough. He could also make out the aroma of lavender and warm vanilla as he passed the side of the building’s large, outdoor ventilation extension. Someone was doing a particularly fragrant load of laundry.

By the time Yosuke had climbed the steps back to their condominium, the crushing weight of global events had almost completely crumbled from his shoulders.

When he stepped in the foyer and was hit by the scent of coffee and the faintest sound of bossa nova, the remaining pebbles fell from his shoulders with ease.

The newspaper, completely forgotten, was tossed onto the counter.

“I’m back,” Yosuke announced.

Yu peeked out from the kitchen, still warm in the cheeks from their talk earlier. He wordlessly extended his partner a cup of coffee and wrapped an arm about his shoulders. The embrace swaddled him in comfort, and he leaned into his partner. His lips met the edge of the mug and he took a long, rejuvenating sip of the drink. All at once, his chilled nerves buzzed to life again. "S'good. Thank you."

"No problem."

The two stayed like that for a moment, lazily entwined in a half-hug, until Yu broke the spell with a single word.

"Hey."

Yosuke blinked up at him. "Hm?"

"Thank you for all this," Yu whispered. His face drifted closer to Yosuke's inch by inch until their noses slotted together side-by-side. Only then did Yu place the softest kiss on the corner of Yosuke's mouth. The coffee-flavored kiss held them captive for a moment. Only when they broke apart by the barest millimeter of distance did Yu flash him a flirty grin and give his nose a loving tweak. "Love you."

Yosuke sat the coffee mug down beside the forgotten newspaper and leaned in to reciprocate.

When their lips connected, there was nothing else on his mind in the entire world. No news, no politicians, no sleazy critics or evil corporate overlords.

There was only pure warmth.

**Author's Note:**

> I’d like to point out that ‘The sex appeal of Rise Kujikawa’ is a real Easter egg in Persona 5. There are other references, but that’s one that I didn’t make up. It’s in the finished game.
> 
> If you’d like to listen to the playlist that inspired parts of this fic, [boop this.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXSBiGoVr7g)
> 
> I love you all, and I hope you’re staying safe and healthy. If you're feeling stressed, I feel you. That's valid. This is your sign to make yourself some hot coffee and play some lofi music. I guarantee that you've earned it.
> 
> I’ll see you all again soon. Buh-bye!


End file.
